center vs soak up

center is a noun but soak up is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
center	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
soak up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, soak up is a hyponym of center; that is, soak up is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than center:

Other hyponyms of center include absorb, engross, engulf, immerse, plunge, steep, recall, think, zoom in, hear, listen, take heed.

center (noun)	soak up (noun)
a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
(American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
a building dedicated to a particular activity
mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
the object upon which interest and attention focuses
the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
politically moderate persons; centrists
the middle of a military or naval formation
a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
a place where some particular activity is concentrated
(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team

center (adjective)	soak up (adjective)
of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
equally distant from the extremes

center (verb)	soak up (verb)
direct one's attention on something	devote (oneself) fully to
move into the center	take in, also metaphorically
center upon